NEUROSCIENCE CORE D ABSTRACT Project Summary The Neuroscience Core D services will: (1) provide IDDRC investigators with facilities and services to support their individual neuroscience research programs; (2) maintain an environment that facilitates interdisciplinary neuroscience collaborations among IDDRC investigators; (3) deliver broad access to emerging neuroscience technologies that would otherwise be inaccessible to individual IDDRC investigators; (4) ensure that the services provided are timely, of the highest quality, and cost-effective; (5) help IDDRC investigators better utilize existing Vanderbilt University research core facilities; and (6) provide incentives for the IDDRC recruitment of new junior and senior faculty. Four integrated core services and facilities are proposed to be supported by Neuroscience Core D: (1) Mouse Behavioral Phenotyping; (2) Neurochemistry; (3) Molecular Neurobiology and Genomics; and (4) Scientific Instrumentation, chosen by the combined criteria of relevance, impact, broadness, inclusiveness, value, investment, integration, and generativity. The Mouse Behavioral Phenotyping Core Service will provide IDDRC investigators with access to state-of-the-art equipment and space for assessing mouse behavior and also will provide comprehensive training in modern behavioral phenotyping methods. The Neurochemistry Core Service will provide quantitative assessment of biogenic amines and amino acids and user-initiated, newly developed, custom-designed measurements. The Molecular Neurobiology and Genomics Core Service develops and applies molecular protocols to investigate the expression and function of genes. The Scientific Instrumentation Service is responsible for maintenance/repair of existing equipment and design/construction of specialized scientific research equipment based on user demand. All these services have a simple, central goal: to facilitate cost-efficient discovery related to IDD research. Core D has substantial connections with our other proposed cores in the U54, and it will facilitate collaborative research and interdisciplinary interaction. Furthermore, in addition to serving 25 funded or pending IDD research-related projects, our Neurochemistry and Scientific Instrumentation core services will be heavily used by the proposed Research Project (PI: Wallace).